New Year's Eve at Walt Disney World

If you plan on visiting a Walt Disney World theme park on New Year's Eve, here are some tips to help make your day as painless as possible:

1) You should arrive early in the morning at the park of your choice and be prepared to spend your entire day there. The parks will reach capacity with no further admittance allowed. Park hopping on New Year's Eve is not recommended.

2) It's a common misconception that guests staying in a Disney Resort are guaranteed admittance into every park. This is not true; as a Disney Resort guest you are promised to gain entrance into a park, but it may not be the park of your choice. Note that having a dining reservation does not mean that you will be allowed in if that park has already reached capacity.

3) For your comfort, arrive early and rent a locker. Should the weather be an issue, you can stow your warm clothes or raingear.

4) If there's an attraction on your "must-do" list, try to make a FastPass+ selection for it. It's not uncommon to see waits of 2+ hours at the most popular attractions.

5) The parks will have live entertainment throughout the day/evening in addition to special midnight fireworks. Be sure to grab a Times Guide upon entering the park.

6) Roadways at the Walt Disney World Resort are extremely busy on New Year's Eve. It is important to plan extra travel time and to pay close attention to road signs, as road closures and redirects will be in place across the entire property on December 31. Roadway impacts will begin at 10:00 p.m. on Monday, December 31, and last until about 2:30 a.m. See below for details:

All Magic Kingdom guests will be routed to exit property via southbound World Drive.
The southbound World Drive exit onto Epcot Center Drive will be restricted to authorized vehicles ONLY.

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade - 12/30 and 12/31/18 at 12:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks* - 12/30 and 12/31/18 at 6:30 p.m. and 11:50 p.m.

Frontierland and Tomorrowland New Year’s Celebration Dance Parties
Grab your pardner and spin around the dance floor to toe-tappin’ tunes. Or blast into the new year at an upbeat gathering featuring futuristic beats. Both parties will take place on December 30 and December 31, 2018 from 7:00 p.m. until midnight.

Park hours, parades and fireworks are subject to change.

*New Year’s Eve fireworks will be streamed live from Magic Kingdom on Monday, December 31 at 11:45 p.m. Eastern. This year’s New Year’s Eve celebration will feature a special performance of Fantasy in the Sky fireworks including songs from some of the most beloved Disney films such as, Peter Pan,Pinocchio, and Aladdin, plus tunes from “it’s a small world” and the Haunted Mansion. Be on the lookout for a special New Year’s Eve finale as well. To watch the #DisneyParksLIVE stream, visit the Disney Parks Blog.

11:40 pm: IllumiNations with a countdown and fireworks salute to the New Year

As the clock strikes midnight in each country’s respective pavilion, listen for a festive announcement and gaze skyward for a colorful burst of fireworks to appear. Guests who are looking for lively dance parties should stroll around the World Showcase to encounter a variety of themed events in several country pavilions.